Huawei’s local teams have contacted government bodies and telecom operators in India for negotiations and discussions around the security concerns related to its 5G equipment
Huawei is one of the three major telecom vendors in the world and blocking the Chinese company would not be good for the industry, Vodafone Chief Executive Officer Nick Read has said.
Apart from Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia are the two other major telecom vendors.
“This is not a Vodafone topic, it is an industry topic. Huawei plays a major role in supply chain (of telecom equipment). If you look at it from our perspective, we have resiliency and security in our networks. If we concentrate down to two players, it is not healthy,” PTI quoted Read as saying.
Read clarified that Vodafone’s decision to stop using Huawei equipment and instead adopt Nokia solution in Germany was only a business decision and said that it should not be misread.
He also suggested considering evidence-based facts while making decisions with respect to choosing vendors.
Huawei awaiting approval for conducting 5G trials
Huawei is currently awaiting approval from the telecom department for conducting 5G trials in the country. The company along with its telecom operator partners had submitted a joint application for 5G trials in December last year.
Vodafone’s joint venture Vodafone Idea has also partnered with Huawei for 5G trials in India.
James Wu, president, Southern-East Asia region at Huawei Technologies, on Monday said that Huawei’s local teams have contacted government bodies and telecom operators in India for negotiations and discussions around the security concerns related to its 5G equipment.
The executive added that so far, they haven’t received any concerns from the India government.
Huawei has been facing scrutiny in many countries over espionage concerns. The US has asked its allies to ban 5G gear from Huawei, expressing concerns that its alleged link with the Chinese government could pose a national security threat.
However, Huawei maintains that there has been no evidence of any wrongdoing by the company.
